Never Off Duty. A Holiday with John.

Have you ever been to Craster?

Nestled on a beautiful coastline in the north of England, Craster in Northumberland, remains one of my favourite UK holiday destinations.

My wife and I visit regularly - usually on special occasions - making it a tradition to explore local pubs and eateries that dot the landscape. One of my favourites is the highly acclaimed and award-winning, The Jolly Fisherman.

It’s a funny coincidence but every time we seem to book a table somewhere new, we end up seeing it featured in newspapers. And true to this tradition, The Jolly Fisherman was making waves in The Times at the time.

It’s a lovely establishment on the coast overlooking the North Sea, I highly recommend it if you haven’t tried it before.

But here’s the thing.

27 years in the industry and it’s become ingrained in me to notice the finer details. It’s not uncommon to find me in the kitchen and behind the bar talking to pub owners, distributors, and engineers during my outings.

We’d visited The Jolly Fisherman before for our wedding anniversary and enjoyed some great seafood. The servers were friendly and it’s such a lovely place, but I couldn’t help noticing that the bar staff were diligently polishing their wine glasses by hand. Delivering a highly polished glass to our table. I admired their patience and dedication.

I decided I didn’t want to make any comments about it at the time. Partly because of the elbow from my wife if I did while we were on holiday.

But when we returned for my wife’s 50th birthday, my eagle eye couldn’t help but spot that, again, the team were spending time hand polishing each glass to ensure they were up to the standard they know their customers want and expect.

So, it got me thinking… if their staff must hand polish their glasses to get them sparkling, I had an idea that could help with a more efficient solution.

I had to speak up.

To me, when staff are hand polishing their glassware, it could be affecting the efficiency of their operations. Like I said earlier, after 27 years in the job, as much as I tried to fight it off, it was ingrained in every part of my being to “have a chat”.

With a half decent chemical after a wash cycle, and a warewasher functioning at optimal capacity, your glasses should come out sparkling and ready to set down on the tables and fill with your celebratory vino of choice. No hand polishing required.

So, I offered a brochure and business card and told them to feel free to call if they needed any help, suggestions or support.

Since we were staying in Craster for the week, The Jolly Fisherman became our go-to spot most nights. If they did start to think “oh here he is again”, they did a good job of hiding it.

A couple of days later I noticed a Millennium Refrigeration van parked outside. Yes, you guessed it, I introduced myself and asked what they were doing (no matter how much I try to convince myself I am off duty - I never really am!)

It turned out they were there to look at the current glasswasher for some standard servicing to keep it working optimally. But we did discuss whether it could be time for an upgrade to deliver even better results for The Jolly Fisherman.

We discussed (OK, I proposed) potential distributor relationships, as Millennium is a significant player in that area. I left them my contact details, just in case. That’s 2 brochures and 2 cards down from the boot of my car, while on holiday).

About six weeks later, with the holiday but a distant memory, I got a call out of the blue.

They were in the market for a replacement. As luck would have it, Classeq had just launched our new Undercounter range and the C500 glasswasher (with optional water softener), which had been greatly received by our market for its exceptional wash results. I was more than confident that it could meet their needs and avoid ongoing hand polishing.

I sent the pricing to Millennium, and the order was placed quickly. The installation, testing, and commissioning went ahead smoothly.

I tell you this story because it highlights how quality results can not only create a great customer experience but also save on time and labour.

Older warewasher machines sometimes only deliver the right standard of cleanliness after extensive polishing by hand; in a busy restaurant, that’s just not efficient and costs the venue more money by taking bar staff away from their front of house role.

Such a highly regarded and much-loved traditional and award-winning gastro pub, situated in a beautiful location, deserves the best performance results from its equipment.

I would’ve felt I was doing a disservice to them if I didn’t offer help to improve their efficiency and results. I know I’m a salesperson and it’s my job to sell, but I love this industry. I love a great coastal restaurant; the hospitality industry is hard - I like to think I’m helping; wash results and efficiency are important to them and to me. And I hope the Jolly Fisherman is happy with their new Classeq machine. I know I certainly will be on my next visit when I ask them to crack open my next bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

Now, I don’t want you thinking I make a habit of this, but there was another similar situation that happened during a holiday in Devon. See, I’m not being regionalist here. It happens up and down the country. We were at the Ferry Boat Inn, and I noticed a new Classeq glasswasher behind the bar. I’d say it was about six months old. I mentioned that I worked for the company, and they let me behind the bar to take a closer look at the set-up of the new machine.

After a few minutes chatting and poking around behind the bar, I managed to re-configure their machine to something that was more suitable to their new needs. Leaving an even happier customer behind the bar.

Evolving customer expectations

With all that being said, I am noticing a shift in our customer expectations. In hospitality, it’s often the smaller details that mean the most. The wine your glass is served from should be gleaming and sparkling. The servers friendly and happy, and the food timely yet delicious. A machine that is working optimally can enhance a venues reputation that, in the hospitality sector, we all know can take a long time to build up.

When you invest in equipment, it can help you save time, reduce labour costs, and improve efficiency and customer experience. For a busy establishment, this can mean the difference between timely, seamless service and a bottleneck that affects the overall dining experience.

Classeq’s simple yet robust equipment is designed to meet these heightened expectations. Glasses can come straight from the wash cycle to the table, and your machine can be commissioned to the requirements of the end user.

For distributors and operators, understanding the signs that a machine is approaching the end of its life can prevent service disruptions and maintain the high standards that customers expect.

I hope you enjoyed this story. Because I may be coming to a venue near you soon!

PS: did you know I once sold a Classeq Undercounter machine to Fish from Marillion? Google them ☺



References

1. https://thejollyfishermancraster.co.uk/

2. https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/food-drink/article/30-best-uk-places-to-eat-by-the-sea-in-2021-lft2w6xfv

3. https://www.classeq.co.uk/undercounters/c500